LOCAL ACTIVISTS CHALLENGE ELIZABETH BOE INCUMBENTS

PROGRESSIVE ACTIVISTS RUN FOR ELIZABETH BOARD OF EDUCATION

ELIZABETH, NJ — On Friday, August 28th, Elizabeth residents, Danielle Fienberg, Janice Figueroa, and Natalie Hernandez, announced their candidacy for Elizabeth Board of Education and their ballot slogan, ‘Justice for Elizabeth.’ The three candidates will be running a grassroots, progressive campaign to unseat three current members of the Elizabeth Board of Education.

Danielle Fienberg, a mother of two children, is an active member of the Elizabeth community and a vocal champion for disabled children’s rights. She has been intimately involved in the progressive movement in New Jersey, working with the Newark Water Coalition and Progressive Democrats of Union County, which she is a co-founder. Danielle has been an outspoken critic of the current Board of Education and its policies and practices regarding mismanagement of Special Services, egregious school suspensions, and closed room meetings.

Janice Figueroa is a student at the University of Virginia studying Linguistics and obtaining certification to teach English as a Second Language. Growing up in Elizabeth, Janice attended School No. 19, 13, 28, 7, and Frank J. Cicarell Academy. Recently, Janice co-founded The People’s Committee of Elizabeth, which empowers and uplifts Elizabeth’s Black community through acts of community service and resistance. In her education courses at UVA, Janice studied the bias and inequality in our education systems. She hopes to eliminate discrimination and inequality in Elizabeth Public Schools through restorative justice practices and mandatory racial and ethnic bias training.

Natalie Hernandez, born and raised in Elizabeth, is a student at Kean University studying Global Studies and Political Science. At Kean, Natalie worked for the Human Rights Institute and United Nations Association, where she was the president. As an Elizabeth student, Natalie attended School No. 18, 16, 30, and Admiral William F. Halsey Health and Public Safety Academy. Recently, Natalie co-founded The People’s Committee of Elizabeth with a particular interest in systemic racism in law enforcement.

To watch the full campaign kickoff event, visit bit.ly/CampaignKickoffLive or visit our Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/justiceforelizabeth.

Election Day is November 3rd, 2020. The school board elections will be held concurrently with the federal general election. To learn more about the Justice for Elizabeth candidates and campaign, visit www.justiceforelizabeth.com.

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